Linklaters' new western Europe managing partner Claudia Parzani is gearing up for "four very interesting years", following her appointment to the post amid a time of huge upheaval across the continent.

"We have already had the Brexit vote and Trump's election; with the Italian constitutional referendum, the general elections in Germany and France, and Mario Draghi's succession at the European Central Bank all coming up, it's going to be four very interesting years," she notes.

Parzani is a big name in Italian business circles – how many Linklaters partners can say they have been profiled by Vanity Fair? She is recognised for standing out in the traditionally male-dominated Italian corporate world, and for her work on diversity and corporate governance. Between 2013 and 2016, she was president of Valore D, an association of 150 major companies in Italy that works towards increasing the representation of women at the top of major Italian businesses.

Her appointment to the magic circle firm's executive committee follows that of corporate head Aedamar Comiskey, who was appointed in September following her bid for the firm's senior partner job.

Comiskey's senior partner campaign came after questions were raised over the firm's all-male shortlist for its managing partner job, with the lack of opportunities for women at the top echelons of the legal profession continuing to attract much scrutiny.

Parzani says that on diversity, the firm has improved significantly: "It is great to see an increasing number of women coming through the ranks, such as Aedamar."

She also points to her promotion as an example of what the firm is doing: "There might have been a stereotype about who could make it to the leadership of a firm but things have definitely changed now. Just look at my case: I am a woman, from southern Europe, who joined Linklaters laterally a few years ago and now I manage western Europe."

Parzani's new position brings with it a seat on Linklaters' executive committee, a role that will be familiar to her given her positions on the board of the Italian Stock Exchange, insurance company Allianz Italia and the Polytechnic University of Milan.

"My new job will be twofold: on one hand I will sit on the executive committee, representing my region, but [on the other hand] also contributing the corporate governance experience I have gathered over the years by working with clients, both banks and corporations, on major transformational projects."

There might have been a stereotype about who could make it to the leadership of a firm but things have definitely changed now

Parzani will also chair the firm's European board, which is made up of all the firm's national managing partners across Europe. She is planning a shake-up of the board to make it more structured and "more efficient from a governance standpoint".

"I will borrow from the best practice I have seen in the market, including a more effective use of ad hoc committees in order to foster change and engaging a broader constituency of colleagues. I would like to use the board as a platform to spearhead pilot programmes, particularly for improving client relationships."

"There are some interesting changes on the horizon," she concludes. "It's really a matter of mapping a changing world, spotting new trends and advising clients on how best to position themselves in anticipation. That is truly exciting."

Linklaters executive committee in full

Gideon Moore – managing partner Michael Bennett – dispute resolution practice head Scott Bowie – US head Andreas Steck – Germany senior partner Marc Harvey – Asia managing partner Peter Hickman – chief finance and operations officer Michael Kent – finance and projects head Chris Lynch – HR director Aedamar Comiskey – corporate head Claudia Parzani – western Europe managing partner Sarah Wiggins – client and sectors partner Katharine Davidson (secretariat) – global head of strategy